{{Short description|U.S. provider of physician practice management services}}
{{Infobox company | name = EmCare Holdings Inc. | logo = EmCare Logo.png | type = Subsidiary | foundation = 1972 | defunct = 2015 | fate = Acquired by Envision Physician Services | location = Dallas, Texas, United States | key_people = | products = Healthcare management | homepage = | industry = Health care | parent = Envision Healthcare }}
'''EmCare Holdings Inc.''', or '''EmCare''', was a United States provider of physician practice management services for emergency departments, inpatient physician services or hospitals, acute care surgery, trauma and general surgery, women's and children's services, radiology / teleradiology programs, and anesthesiology services. Founded in 1972, EmCare had more than 1,000 contracts with client hospitals in 42 states.
Laidlaw acquired EmCare in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-31-fi-18065-story.html|title=Laidlaw to Acquire EmCare for $400 Million|date=31 July 1997|publisher=|accessdate=22 April 2019|via=LA Times}}</ref> In 2004, Laidlaw sold EmCare and American Medical Response to Onex.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/07/business/company-news-onex-will-buy-two-health-care-units-from-laidlaw.html|title=Company News; Onex Will Buy Two Health Care Units from Laidlaw|first=|agency=Reuters|date=7 December 2004|publisher=|accessdate=22 April 2019|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> Onex formed Emergency Medical Services Corporation as the parent of its two acquisitions. EMSC went public in December of that year.<ref>[http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/12/19/daily40.html EMS completes IPO of 8.1M shares]</ref> In 2011, EMSC was acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdr-inc.com/news/press-release/clayton-dubilier-rice-completes-3.2-billion-acquisition-emergency-medical|title=Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Completes $3.2 Billion Acquisition of Emergency Medical Services Corporation - Clayton Dubilier & Rice, LLC|website=www.cdr-inc.com|accessdate=22 April 2019}}</ref> On June 11, 2013, EMSC changed names to Envision Healthcare and went public as EVHC.<ref>[http://investor.emsc.net/press-releases/2013/emsc-announces-new-company-name-unveils-new-company-logo EMSC Announces New Company Name, Unveils New Company Logo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009172022/http://investor.emsc.net/press-releases/2013/emsc-announces-new-company-name-unveils-new-company-logo |date=2014-10-09 }}</ref> AMR and Evolution Health also are a part of Envision Healthcare.
The company had been criticized for encouraging the practice of "out-of-network billing", which causes patients to be billed directly and at a much higher rate for medical services. This practice is particularly frequent in emergency room visits, in which the patient has little to no ability to choose their doctors. Researchers found that in half of 16 hospitals that used EmCare's services, out-of-network billing rose quickly and precipitously, and in the other half the out-of-network was already near 100% and did not decrease. In a larger sample of 194 hospitals in which EmCare handled billing, the average out-of-network billing rate was 62 percent, far higher than the national average. In contrast, when Emcare competitor TeamHealth took over billing in other hospitals, there was a much smaller increase in out-of-network billing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/upshot/the-company-behind-many-surprise-emergency-room-bills.html|title=The Company Behind Many Surprise Emergency Room Bills|first1=Julie|last1=Creswell|first2=Reed|last2=Abelson|first3=Margot|last3=Sanger-Katz|date=24 July 2017|publisher=|accessdate=22 April 2019|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nber.org/papers/w23623|title=Surprise! Out-of-Network Billing for Emergency Care in the United States|first1=Zack|last1=Cooper|first2=Fiona Scott|last2=Morton|first3=Nathan|last3=Shekita|date=1 July 2017|publisher=|accessdate=22 April 2019|via=National Bureau of Economic Research}}</ref>
EmCare Holdings Inc., was [https://www.envisionphysicianservices.com/sheridan-emcare purchased by Envision Physician Services] and is no longer in business.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sheridan-EmCare |url=https://www.envisionphysicianservices.com/sheridan-emcare |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=www.envisionphysicianservices.com}}</ref>
==See also== * American Medical Response * Kirk B. Jensen
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links==
Category:Companies based in Dallas Category:1972 establishments in Texas Category:Health care companies established in 1972 Category:Medical outsourcing companies of the United States